It’s the same old tired “reverse racism” ploy, used by wingnuts to paint black people as “racists” by ignoring context and trying to prove that black people have the same racist instincts as white people. Oh, wait.

Breitbart blogger Patrick Courrielche even admits that he’s a “big fan” of Jill Scott’s music. But when there’s race-baiting to be done, all bets are off.

I’m admittedly a big fan of Jill Scott’s music. Her album Who is Jill Scott? is one of the highest rotated albums on my iPod. But she has also made some controversial comments on interracial relationships that should also be on the First Lady’s radar. In an article Jill Scott published in an April 2010 issue of Essence Magazine, she talked about how, when she found out that a successful black man was married to a white woman, it made her “wince.”

My new friend is handsome, African-American, intelligent and seemingly wealthy. He is an athlete, loves his momma, and is happily married to a White woman. I admit when I saw his wedding ring, I privately hoped. But something in me just knew he didn’t marry a sister. Although my guess hit the mark, when my friend told me his wife was indeed Caucasian, I felt my spirit…wince. I didn’t immediately understand it. My face read happy for you. My body showed no reaction to my inner pinch, but the sting was there, quiet like a mosquito under a summer dress.

Her justification for these feeling [sic] were artful and she firmly stated that she was not raised to view people by the color of their skin. But if the same words were put in the mouth of a Caucasian, the viewpoint would wreak [sic] of bigotry.

Again we see the right wing trying to project their own bigotry on African Americans. But in true Breitbart blogger fashion, Courrielche just leaves out the following paragraph from Scott’s interview with Essence, because that pesky context gets in the way of the reverse racist narrative:

Was I jealous? Did the reality of his relationship somehow diminish his soul’s credibility? The answer is not simple. One could easily dispel the wince as racist or separatist, but that’s not how I was brought up. I was reared in a Jehovah’s Witness household. I was taught that every man should be judged by his deeds and not his color, and I firmly stand where my grandmother left me. African people worldwide are known to be welcoming and open-minded. We share our culture sometimes to our own peril and most of us love the very notion of love. My position is that for women of color, this very common “wince” has solely to do with the African story in America.

These idiotic freakouts over Common and Jill Scott serve to remind the right wing audience: even if he did get bin Laden, the President is still black.

I long for the day where Breitbart is seen universally as the hack he is. Really, this isn’t the first time he’s manipulated words to attack someone racially and it won’t be the last. The guy’s a pathetic excuse for a human being if you ask me, He gets his kicks on ruining lives of others.

Good fucking grief. Even if Scott’s reaction were not lucidly, sensitively and rationally explained by the unquoted paragraph, it still wouldn’t be “reverse racism” BECAUSE THE FUCKING GOVERNMENT NEVER HAD LAWS IN PLACE THAT MADE BLACK PEOPLE SUPERIOR TO WHITE PEOPLE.

I’m trying to imagine what Faux News, Breitbart, Drudge and the like would be saying right now if a McCain-Palin Administration had somehow orchestrated the OBL kill last week. I think it’s fair to imagine that every report would be centered around how very manly and courageous McCain/Palin were and how the “Democrat” Party was sabotaging U.S. security, etc.

But since Bush-Cheney whiffed on getting OBL, the reichwing is left to their pathetic “conveyor belt” of phony outrages, hoping they can distract the public.

I’m trying to imagine what Faux News, Breitbart, Drudge and the like would be saying right now if a McCain-Palin Administration had somehow orchestrated the OBL kill last week. I think it’s fair to imagine that every report would be centered around how very manly and courageous McCain/Palin were and how the “Democrat” Party was sabotaging U.S. security, etc.

But since Bush-Cheney whiffed on getting OBL, the reichwing is left to their pathetic “conveyor belt” of phony outrages, hoping they can distract the public.

You know it. I am sick of their phony outrage crap. Focus on the goddamned issues you dicks instead of listening to proven fraudsters like Breitbart.

As it happens, I read that article when it was first published. I thought it to be no big deal, because I’ve heard this same sentiment many times before — it’s a common theme in black women’s magazines. I was a bit disappointed that Jill Scott wasn’t so enlightened, but she’s welcome to her feelings.

One common rationale for this viewpoint among so many black women is the zeitgeist that there are so “good” black men available — what with the general scarcity of African Americans and the high imprisonment rate, etc. They see many black guys who date white women as “dating up” the social strata, which they feel reflects poorly on them — it’s a “what, we’re not good enough?” thing, combined with the usual ethnicity-agnostic female dynamics.

In NO circumstances have I seen this issue being driven by what I interpret as feelings that white women are inferior or undeserving of black men, nor a general dislike of white women. And that’s the key thing. It’s the general issue of feelings of rejection, and not racism.

Another point I forgot to make — “The First Lady should be aware of this” nonsense is just silly. She’s a black woman; she knows that plenty of black women feel this way. As I mentioned, it’s a constantly recurring theme in Essence and similar magazines. It’s just part of racial politics.

In NO circumstances have I seen this issue being driven by what I interpret as feelings that white women are inferior or undeserving of black men, nor a general dislike of white women. And that’s the key thing. It’s the general issue of feelings of rejection, and not racism.

Absolutely. You nailed it.

What the right wing is doing here is the classic “Anyone who is talking about racial issues at all is the real racist!” bit of assholery.

I understand what Scott is saying. I think it’s short-sighted of her; I think that the sight of a black man with a white women should cause joy that the days where that man would be beaten down are gone. But I also understand about the concern about fracturing the black community.

By the way, yet again the GOP manages to sideswipe Jews, in this case orthodox Jews and all other Jews who would prefer that their sons and daughters marry other Jews. I don’t subscribe to that particular view myself, but it is in no way a racist view; it is not about race, but about culture, and about the strength and cohesiveness of Jewish society.

Likewise, what Scott was expressing was the pain that there are so many single black women, it is about a problem and a challenge to black society, it is not about any belief of it being morally wrong to mix races or any beliefs about white (or black) people at all.

Another point I forgot to make — “The First Lady should be aware of this” nonsense is just silly. She’s a black woman; she knows that plenty of black women feel this way. As I mentioned, it’s a constantly recurring theme in Essence and similar magazines. It’s just part of racial politics.

Michelle married a man whose father married a white woman or two. Damn right she’s aware.

While it is chivalrous to hear white men defend Jill Scott’s comment, I’m finding it just a little presumptuous to read their comments about how black women feel on this personal and intimate issue. Not a criticism, really… just a bit of discomfort in a mansplainin’ kinda way. Is it just me?

That’s odd. I was pretty certain that rap/hip-hop emerged from American culture. Huh.

Well, it grew out of African traditions, call and response, Jazz, blues, etc. I’m pretty sure there’s an African tradition of competition songs where one person sings and another tries to outdo him, etc. It’s been a while since I’ve taken an ethnomusicology course.

Well, it grew out of African traditions, call and response, Jazz, blues, etc. I’m pretty sure there’s an African tradition of competition songs where one person sings and another tries to outdo him, etc. It’s been a while since I’ve taken an ethnomusicology course.

So they’re just reminding their audience that even if he did get bin Laden, the President is still black.

Yup, that’s clearly a reason the right is busy quote-mining only the African-American guests to this event, but haven’t tried to do the same with respect to mainstream white musicians the President has hosted in the past.

Paul McCartney for example:

In a video that has somehow escaped the attention of the conservative press, President Obama can be seen presenting a medal to a foreign singer whose co-wrote a song with the lyrics, “I’d rather see you dead little girl than to be with another man.” Another of his compositions depicts a serial murder on a killing spree that involves bludgeoning a teacher to death with a hammer. He also wrote a song that glorified the Soviet Union at the height of its Cold War power.

I understand what Scott is saying. I think it’s short-sighted of her; I think that the sight of a black man with a white women should cause joy that the days where that man would be beaten down are gone. But I also understand about the concern about fracturing the black community.

This is what I was uncomfortable with. You are suggesting how she SHOULD feel. I am suggesting that as a white male this isn’t an issue you can identify with.

While it is chivalrous to hear white men defend Jill Scott’s comment, I’m finding it just a little presumptuous to read their comments about how black women feel on this personal and intimate issue. Not a criticism, really… just a bit of discomfort in a mansplainin’ kinda way. Is it just me?

Nothing wrong with presuming things. For instance, I presume that you presumed that I’m white. I’ll give you the “male” part, based on my username.

In my case, I think my reading comprehension skills are also a factor here; as I mentioned, this issue is written about A LOT, and many people explain it in a way that’s easy for people to understand, regardless of color. Of course, there’s understanding and then there’s understanding, but I think I get decent marks in the former despite the fact that I’m not a black woman.

Why there are lots of copies of Essence Magazine lying around my house for me to read is, as the math textbooks put it, an exercise left to the reader.

re: #46 Killgore Trout
Anthropologists also believe Jazz and to some extent blues has many of it’s roots also in south eastern native american music from the NA’s from the Mississippian culture specifically. There was a large amount of cultural exchange between the African slaves and the Native Americans and the Europeans in the south east over a long period of time well before the USA came into existence-as well as many Blacks and whites coexisting equally in native American nations together- Also, by the early 1700’s 1/3 of all slaves on the plantations were Native American.
I am sure y’all were just dying to know all that stuff. You’re welcome. If you ever have questions about cosmetic chemistry i can help also! //

Good fucking grief. Even if Scott’s reaction were not lucidly, sensitively and rationally explained by the unquoted paragraph, it still wouldn’t be “reverse racism” BECAUSE THE FUCKING GOVERNMENT NEVER HAD LAWS IN PLACE THAT MADE BLACK PEOPLE SUPERIOR TO WHITE PEOPLE.

Fucking white victimhood ideyots.

White victimhood is stupid, but thinking someone can’t be “racist” just because their race is an oppressed one and the ‘targeted’ race is an non-oppressed on is inaccurate. It’s very possible for a black person to be racist against whites.

And this is, of course, exactly the visceral, tribal reaction their race-baiting was meant to engender. In the course of a week, the President managed to side-line two of the Right’s favorite “he’s not one of us, he doesn’t share your values, he’s foreign”-type attacks, by discrediting the Birthers, and sidelining the “sekrit america-hating muslim” meme with the death of OBL. I guess that left doubling, and tripling down on: “black reparations-and-revenge-seeking white-hating radical”.

White victimhood is stupid, but thinking someone can’t be “racist” just because their race is an oppressed one and the ‘targeted’ race is an non-oppressed on is inaccurate. It’s very possible for a black person to be racist against whites.

True — but in this case, I don’t think it’s racism at all. At the risk of oversimplifying it, it’s about jealousy, feelings of rejection, and empathy for people she identifies with.

Breitbart bloggers are almost as imbecilic as their boss… which seems almost impossible but yet somehow they manage it.

I see the context she is trying to present this in but I can’t help but think about an episode of family guy where Brian (the dog) kept barking at Dr. Dre (because he was black) and then kept apologizing for it claiming “that is not me, that was my father… I vote Democrat”.

I believe in the rights of anyone to marry anyone regardless of race, religion or creed but to me, what she says here (regardless of her race or historical justification) smacks of racism.

I have read her full, un-edited words several times and I can’t reconcile how she says she feels when she sees a white woman and a black man together with her claims of not being racist because she was brought up that way. I know that as long as some people exist (Birthers, The John Birch Society and the typical Breitbart reader) racism will never be destroyed completely but I expected more from someone who knows what it feels like to be discriminated against.

In my opinion, people have a right to complain about what she said. Unfortunately, the right wing is using this as another excuse to satisfy their Obama derangement syndrome. Which is equally disgusting. But, no one should defend what she said simply to deny the right wing their newest ready made attack add. I don’t think we need to stoop to their level to beat them.

I have read her full, un-edited words several times and I can’t reconcile how she says she feels when she sees a white woman and a black man together with her claims of not being racist because she was brought up that way

She’s saying that there’s a historical racist element to the whole black man-white woman thing, and that she’s reacting to that feeling of being implicitly degraded by the cultural indoctrination that white women are supposedly preferable to black women.

African-Americans also react more negatively to white men marrying black women too. I’m completely comfortable calling out whites who “cringe” at interracial marriage, so the discomfort with doing the same to blacks bothers me.

That said, her entire answer is thoughtful, and she sounds like she was calling herself out for having negative thoughts about her friend’s relationship.

She’s saying that there’s a historical racist element to the whole black man-white woman thing, and that she’s reacting to that feeling of being implicitly degraded by the cultural indoctrination that white women are supposedly preferable to black women.

It really isn’t that hard to understand.

So the cultural indoctrination that white women are supposedly preferable to black women is an excuse to feel bad about a white woman marrying a black man? If that is what you are saying then I guess it is just too difficult for me to understand.

For the right wing to freak about about racism is practically the definition of hypocrisy.

I must say, a rose is a rose is a rose. Racism is racism, and it’s always ugly. Here’s a quote from the blog post: “Although my guess hit the mark, when my friend told me his wife was indeed Caucasian, I felt my spirit…wince.” I say that’s bad.

Still, I must emphasize that the above racist thought is quite miniscule compared with the torrent of racism that has come from, and is coming from the right wing, from Rush Limbaugh on down. I have no doubt that it’s racist to get all agitated that a rapper will perform in the White House. So I’m not condoning the right-wing criticisms of Jill Scott at all: they’re so racist themselves, it’s obscene for them to cry racism in others.

So the cultural indoctrination that white women are supposedly preferable to black women is an excuse to feel bad about a white woman marrying a black man? If that is what you are saying then I guess it is just too difficult for me to understand.

So the cultural indoctrination that white women are supposedly preferable to black women is an excuse to feel bad about a white woman marrying a black man? If that is what you are saying then I guess it is just too difficult for me to understand.

It’s not an excuse it’s a reason for her feelings. I couldn’t care less about who somebody dates, but as a black women I can tell you that most of us are negatively affected by the constant and consistent uplifting of white beauty over black and it manifests in different ways. Sometimes in ways you don’t realize until you have a certain reaction. If you read the article she was surprised by her reaction and analyzed why she had it. Introspection is not a common behavior for bigots to engage in.

Had I read this article myself, including her following remarks, I would’ve for sure chalked her up racist without anyone elses opinion. Seriously, she makes the remarks, so what am I supposed to think of her? What does she want me to think of her? What does she want me to “learn?”

Isn’t it typical of all these varying types of people (all flavors, keepers of racism) to first make the shocking statement then follow with the immediate down-playing, minimizing explanation? As if they themselves were surprised at what just came out of their own mouth on record.

As is typical, in [her] next breath we get the fire fighter bit. Isn’t this bit seen and heard every damn day!

The internet, network tv, sitcoms, cable, the world, real life, real people — all full of this sort of racism. I know racism when I see it or hear it. I don’t need an explanation about it.

I propose we all need to just shut our mouths and clam down: stop being so opinionated about every little thing. The constant calling-out and constant confrontation is making aggressive zombies out of everyone. A primitive planet of aggressive, rip-your-face-right-off zombies. Hey, how about this, you got something to say and oh boy it’s a good one. But guess what? Saying the thing is going to piss off a whole lot of people, maybe even enrage them. Bad business all around. And probably bring you a whole lot of bad karma down the long road to boot. So do this instead. Don’t say it. Don’t write it. Don’t project it.

Had I read this article myself, including her following remarks, I would’ve for sure chalked her up racist without anyone elses opinion. Seriously, she makes the remarks, so what am I supposed to think of her? What does she want me to think of her? What does she want me to “learn?”

Isn’t it typical of all these varying types of people (all flavors, keepers of racism) to first make the shocking statement then follow with the immediate down-playing, minimizing explanation? As if they themselves were surprised at what just came out of their own mouth on record.

As is typical, in [her] next breath we get the fire fighter bit. Isn’t this bit seen and heard every damn day!

The internet, network tv, sitcoms, cable, the world, real life, real people — all full of this sort of racism. I know racism when I see it or hear it. I don’t need an explanation about it.

I propose we all need to just shut our mouths and clam down: stop being so opinionated about every little thing. The constant calling-out and constant confrontation is making aggressive zombies out of everyone. A primitive planet of aggressive, rip-your-face-right-off zombies. Hey, how about this, you got something to say and oh boy it’s a good one. But guess what? Saying the thing is going to piss off a whole lot of people, maybe even enrage them. Bad business all around. And probably bring you a whole lot of bad karma down the long road to boot. So do this instead. Don’t say it. Don’t write it. Don’t project it.